Red Hat, Inc., the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced the extension of its application certification program to include containerized applications. The Red Hat Container Certification ensures that application containers built using Red Hat Enterprise Linux will operate seamlessly across certified container hosts. Designed with the needs of independent software vendors (ISVs), service providers and their enterprise customers in mind, the certification extends the confidence customers have with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which currently supports thousands of certified applications, to certified containers running on certified container hosts. The pending release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and Red Hat’s OpenShift Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offering will both be certified container hosts, with Docker as a primary supported container format.

Linux Containers

Linux Containers have emerged as a key open source application packaging and delivery technology, combining lightweight application isolation with the flexibility of image-based deployment methods. Developers have rapidly embraced Linux Containers because they simplify and accelerate application deployment, while many PaaS platforms are built around Linux container technology, including OpenShift by Red Hat. Red Hat Enterprise Linux implements Linux Containers using core technologies such as Control Groups (cGroups), Resource Management, SELinux, and network namespaces, enabling secure multi-tenancy and reducing the potential for security exploits.

Building on the capabilities of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, application containers are deployed as software packages that include the application and all of its required runtime components. Benefits include:

Minimal footprint, avoid the overhead of virtual machine images which include a complete operating system.

Simplified maintenance, reduce the effort and risk by patching applications along with all of their dependencies.

Lowered development costs, develop, test and certify applications against a single runtime environment.

Red Hat Container Certification

The Red Hat Container Certification is the latest addition to Red Hat’s industry-leading certification portfolio that includes Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform. The certification is also part of a larger set of Red Hat technology initiatives which in turn support thousands of third party technology partners within Red Hat’s global ecosystem.

To support this newly announced container certification, Red Hat is also announcing the container certification Partner Early Access Program (PEAP). The PEAP will run through late spring and provide the ability for ecosystem partners to participate in early testing, integration and feedback of the tools and resources required for containerization prior to the official launch of the certification and partner program, currently planned for mid-2014. Beginning today, companies interested in being part of the PEAP can learn more by visiting https://engage.redhat.com/content/enterprise-early-access-se-201402101640.

Paul Cormier, president, Products and Technologies, Red Hat: “Twelve years ago, Red Hat shook up the enterprise status quo with the introduction of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, a safe, consistent Linux platform for the ISV ecosystem. Today, the trust that ISVs place in Red Hat Enterprise Linux can extend to containerized applications with the Red Hat Container Certification, ensuring that containers built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux will work as intended across certified hosts, delivering expanded application flexibility, lowered costs and simplified maintenance, all backed by the support and expertise expected from Red Hat.”

Ben Golub, CEO, Docker: “As the de facto standard in open source container technology, we are pleased to see Red Hat embracing the container movement as a means of application efficiency and consistency across computing footprints. By offering a container certification on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Docker, Red Hat is providing the industry’s only standardized, stable platform for commercial container workloads, providing a safe, reliable way to deliver the enterprise applications of the future.”

Matt Asay, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, MongoDB: “Consistent with its mission of high value and affordability, Red Hat continues this trend through a supported platform that enables consistent enterprise-grade application deployment. We’re excited to work with Red Hat to provide customers a seamless database environment that is consistent from development to deployment, regardless of where it resides within the open hybrid cloud.”

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Background information

Red Hat is the world's leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT.

Red Hat is the world's leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT.